COVID-19 Vaccine

The College continues to monitor the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to our community in accordance with city and state guidelines. On this page you will find information our messages to faculty and staff, New York eligibility updates, information on how to make vaccination appointments in New York, and additional city and state resources about the vaccine. 

Please note that if you live in a neighboring state but work or study at Barnard you may be eligible to receive your vaccine in New York City. Your eligibility and the availability of the vaccine in your home state may be different than it is in New York.

For the safety of all, we strongly encourage our community members to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible.

Please email vaccine@barnard.edu with questions. 

• Read the 04/19/2021 message on student vaccination requirements.
• Read the 04/07/2021 message on Columbia's vaccine site. 
• Read the 03/29/2021 message on vaccine eligibility in New York for adults.
• Read the 03/22/2021 message on eligibility for New Yorkers Age 50 and older.
• Read the 03/18/2021 message on Barnard access to vaccine appointments.
• Read the 03/10/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination Updates.
• Read the 02/11/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination Updates.
• Read the 01/12/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination Updates.
• Read the 01/11/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination.

Eligible members of the community can fill out the New York state questionnaire to confirm eligibility here; once submitted, this form will lead to a list of vaccination locations. The New York City vaccine hub is located here.

The state and city websites also provide a list of locations for nearby pharmacies and providers that can administer the vaccine to certain New Yorkers. You can also be in touch with our healthcare provider, if you have one; many of them are part of a hospital or other vaccination network and may be able to find you an appointment.

Additionally, NYS and NYC have each launched hotlines which may be used by eligible members of the community to schedule a vaccination appointment:

NYC: (877) VAX-4NYC (1-877-829-4692)

NYS: (833) NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829)

Eligible Bronx resident can make appointments for vaccination at Yankee Stadium online or by calling 1-833-SomosNY.

Eligible New York City residents can also make an appointment at the Armory in Washington Heights; 60% of new appointments are reserved for residents of Washington Height, Inwood, Northern and Central Harlem, and the South Bronx.

Volunteers have also developed several aggregator resources for New Yorkers to find available appointment: Turbovax and NYC Vaccine.

Another website, Dr. B, allows individuals to register for a "standby" list. It then connects them with any nearby providers who have leftover doses of the vaccine that have been thawed and must be used on that given day. The website sends an alert when such doses become available and allows users to claim the dose and receive the vaccine immediately. 

Aside from resources developed by volunteers, there is not yet a centralized online system to schedule appointments once eligibility has been confirmed. The eligible individual must then schedule an appointment with the desired location directly (via phone or online). As the vaccine rollout develops, a more centralized online system may be developed by the city or state. The College will continue to monitor this and provide any links and updates to the community as soon as possible.

Please follow the instructions from your vaccination site about what to bring. At this time the city and state recommend bringing proof of eligibility. For those qualifying based on employment, proof may include your Barnard ID or pay stub. This document provides instructions  to set up an account on our system if you haven’t yet. Page 5 includes details on how to locate and print your pay stub. If you need additional assistance locating your pay stub through our online system please contact Human Resources. For eligibility based on age, bring a government-issued ID with your birth date. For eligibility based on existing medical conditions, please follow the instructions of the vaccination site, which may include providing a doctor's letter, medical information evidencing the condition, or a signed certification.

For students living on campus who need proof of New York residency, take the following steps to create a PDF of your housing assignment as an address.

1. Log into Barnard Housing Portal at https://barnard.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortal

2. Click my.HOUSING on the navigation bar

3. Click Address Verification Letter

Beginning on April 6, 2021, New Yorkers ages 16 or older are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Beginning on March 30, 2021, New Yorkers ages 30 or older are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Beginning on March 23, 2021, New Yorkers ages 50 or older are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Beginning on March 10, 2021, all faculty and staff who are working in-person are eligible and may begin scheduling appointments. The New York State Guidance was updated to include all "In-Person College Faculty and Essential In-Person Staff," where previously only in-person instructors were eligible.

Beginning on February 15, 2021, adults with “comorbidities” are eligible for vaccination. In general, New York State will follow the CDC’s guidance on people with certain medical conditions. Currently, the NYS list of eligible conditions include:*

• Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome 
• Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteriods, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
• Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia 
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
• Liver disease

*The list is subject to change as additional scientific evidence is published and as New York State obtains and analyzes additional state-specific data.

Time Off for Vaccination

Under a new state law, employees can take paid time off from their regularly scheduled work hours to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees may take up to four hours of paid leave at their regular rate of pay for each dose. This time will not be charged against other sick leave entitlement for staff, including New York State Paid COVID-19 Leave.

To use this COVID-19 vaccine leave, staff in TWU Local 264, Local 2110 Access Attendants and 32BJ should let their manager know so that the time can be appropriately entered. For staff who use Timesaver, please enter this time using the new code "BC19 COVID-19 Vaccination."

Members of the College community who are able to be or already have been vaccinated must continue to comply with all of Barnard’s COVID-19 policies—which include regular testing, social distancing, and the wearing of a face covering at all times—because vaccination does not exempt anyone from College coronavirus protocols implemented in 2020. As more becomes known about the availability and functioning of the vaccine, as well as the vaccination rate in our campus community, relevant College policies will be developed and shared with the community.

Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Resources: 

• New York State’s Vaccine Eligibility Screening Tool
• New York State’s distribution plan
• NYC interim vaccination plan
• NYC vaccine command center 
• NYC Vaccination Location Finder

Using this survey, Barnard faculty, staff, and students who have already been vaccinated can voluntarily share that information, and those who are interested in vaccination, whether or not currently eligible, can opt in to Barnard sharing their information with out current and future vaccination distribution partners to facilitate our community's access to the vaccine as a supplement to city and state resources. We will share more details with the community as they become available.